Thomas Smith, wife Sarah - Pennsylvania

[Almarica]

What follows is a desperate plea for help on a long shot:

I'm searching for Thomas Smith, b. approximately 1867. According to the 1900 census he emigrated from England (unspecified port of origin) in 1894; later census records indicate this date as year of naturalisation, while listing 1886 as date of emigration. His wife's name was Sarah E. (the E. could suggest a middle name, but as most of her children bear this same middle initial I am inclined to think it the first letter of her maiden name). It is unclear whether or not they were wed before leaving for America, though I suspect they were. Sarah's birthdate is given as 1867, same as her husband's, in the 1900 census, but in later censuses she appears to have been born ten years later (1877/1878). They ultimately ended up in southwestern Pennsylvania (Brownsville, Fayette County; California, Washington County) and Ohio. Sarah could have left England up to two years after her husband.

If anyone comes across any hint of these mysterious Smiths in any collection of passenger lists (with such a common surname, it's a tall request, I understand), please be so kind to let me know.  I hope to be able to determine whereabouts in England they originated and continue my search from there.

[liverpool annie]

There's a few -  I'll give you them and you can decide OK??

I found these for New York - I couldn't see any others with the right dates - could be my eyes too of course By the way he travelled alone !!

Name:       Thomas Smith
Arrival Date:       27 Aug 1886
Birth Year:       1867
Age:       19
Gender:       Male
Port of Departure:       Liverpool, England
Destination:       United States of America
Place of Origin:       England
Ship Name:       America
Port of Arrival:       New York
Line       6
Microfilm        497
List Number       1028


Name:       Thomas Smith
Arrival Date:       21 May 1886
Birth Year:       1866
Age:       20
Gender:       Male
Port of Departure:       Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland
Destination:       New York
Place of Origin:       England
Ship Name:       City of Berlin
Port of Arrival:       New York
Line:       12
Microfilm    495
List Number       565


Name:       Thomas Smith
Arrival Date:       12 Jul 1886
Birth Year:       1866
Age:       20
Gender:       Male
Port of Departure:       Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland
Destination:       United States of America
Place of Origin:       England
Ship Name:       Germanic
Port of Arrival:       New York
Line:       29
Microfilm     496
List Number       816


Name:       Thomas Smith
Arrival Date:       2 Feb 1886
Birth Year:       1867
Age:       19
Gender:       Male
Port of Departure:       Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland
Destination:       United States of America
Place of Origin:       England
Ship Name:       Wyoming
Port of Arrival:       New York
Line:       1
Microfilm     492
List Number:       122A


I hope this may help you !

Annie

[down-under]

Smith Thomas born 1867   age 32 lab coal works
Smith Sarah E "        1867   age 32
Smith  Mabel      "     1895    age 4
Smith Blanche   "       1897   age  2
Smith  Anna       "       1899   age 9months

arrived america 1894 not nationalised
 
1900 census  America
 
Thomas Smith age 32 living in Menallen, Fayette, Pennsylvania born England

England 1891 census 
address Coal pit Lane
RG12/3057/97  p 17
Hindley parish of All Saints  RD Wigan SD Hindley ED 5

Thomas Smith coal miner Head  age 23  born Leigh  Lancastershire
Sarah e Smith  Wife   age 23  born Leigh Lancastershire
Elizabeth daughter age 3 weeks  born Hindley Lancastershire
Abraham Smith brother age 16 Colliery something? assistant born Lowton Lancastershire
     

 Any Help
Regards
Pam

[liverpool annie]

I found this - Sarah E is travelling with Thomas and also a Mary E aged 29
if you PM me with your e-mail I'll send you the image and you decide   



Name:       Sarah E Smith
Arrival Date:       28 Mar 1887
Birth Year:       1857
Age:       30
Gender:       Female
Port of Departure:       Liverpool, England and Queenstown, Ireland
Destination:       United States of America
Ship Name:       Etruria
Port of Arrival:       New York
Place of birth       England

Annie

[down-under]

 1881 could be the Smith family  51 Shuttle Hillock WestLEIGH Lancastershire
 
Abraham Smith abt 1875    born Westleigh son

Elizabeth Smith abt 1871  Westleigh, Daughter
Esther Smith abt 1880  Westleigh, ,  Daughter  
James Smith abt 1842  Bedford, Lancashire, England    Head    
Margaret Smith abt 1866  Abram, Lancashire, daughter
Martha Smith abt 1873  Lowton,   daughter  
Sarah Smith abt 1842  Leigh,   wife  
Sarah Smith abt 1878  Westleigh, daughter


Thomas Smith abt 1868  Westleigh, Lancashire, son

Pam

[down-under]

There is a marriage for
Thomas Smith
Sarah Ellen Green
1890 march quarter Leigh Lancashire 8c page 340

There is a Mary Carter and James Gibson on the same page

There are a lot of Sarah Ellen  Greens around in Lancashire


anyway Hope I am not sending you miss information  so far this is the only Thomas Smith and a Sarah e marriage.


Regards Pam

[Almarica]

Wow. Thanks for all the replies; you've dug up enough Smiths to keep me busy for a bit.  I like the challenge, though.

The Smiths identified in the 1900 census in Menallen are indeed mine! As you see, 1894 is given as the year of immigration; in later censuses this is given as year of naturalisation, with 1886 being the stated year of immigration for Thomas and 1888 being the year of immigration for Sarah. In 1900 Sarah looks to be born in the same year as Thomas, while in later censuses her birth year is given as ten years later (1878 or so). It was suggested to me by another researcher that as she advanced in years, Sarah began to lie about her age.  I feel fairly sure that they married in England and Thomas left for the States alone, sending for Sarah later (it took three separate ships to get all members of another branch of the family across the pond).

If it is of any help in narrowing down the list of potential candidates, Thomas was born in August, according to the 1900 US census. Unfortunately, the freeBMD databases are largely incomplete for the years which would cover the births and marriage of my Mr and Mrs Smith.

I had been working on the assumption that it was Sarah's maiden name that began with E., since all of her sons (not yet born by 1900) bore the same middle initial.

The fact that the Lancashire Smiths of Leigh had a daughter, Elizabeth, not listed in the 1900 Pennsylvania census, is interesting; Thomas and Sarah were said to have lost a child in infancy. I wonder if this could be her.

Is there no mention in the passenger lists of where these Mssrs Smith were headed for once in America? The only hit I got that could be mine in the Ellis Island records (if the 1894 date for embarkation were correct) was a salesman destined for Chicago, whom I guess not to be my forebear.